My wife spotted a fake fireplace mantle in the store that comes with an electric "fire"/heater. I didn't like the electric heater because its expensive to run and no use in a power outage, so I started looking at all manner of "ventless" fireplaces. What a can of worms!

There are all kinds models that propane and nat. gas (but not both). There are also "gel fuel" units that burn what appear to be giant cans of sterno (reviewers comment that the fuel is expensive).

I'm inclined to go with propane because I have a large tank that runs only the stove at the moment. And no, I can't run the oven for heat because I stupidly bought a model that has a digitally controlled oven. I'm not sure its very safe to do so anyway.

A further complication is that my wife is only interested in the decorative aspect of the mantle.

Any experience/comments/suggestions/wisecracks?

Hi thseng,

I think you are on to a good idea and one which I intend to explore when I get enough cash to buy the decorative fireplace my wife wants. I could go with either propane or natural gas but would proabally do propane because it is a stand alone system, you are not depending on the gas supply, only what you have in storage.

I am eager to hear the responses from the forum to learn about these products.

This maybe the first preparedness product that my DW will actually support!

Mike

I can tell you a little bit about those electric fireplaces, since our new home on wheels has one. Very nice to look at, but they do require electricity, and even tho they (or at least ours) have a fan, it is a very puny fan, so all of the heat generated comes out the vents, then goes straight up. Luckily, we have a ceiling fan, so we put that on winter mode and let it move that heat back down to us. But I can not really recommend them as a decent heat source...

Some of those fake fireplaces and mantles look great. But I agree with the others -- forget about them as a heat source.

There are a number of "ventless" gas heaters on the U.S. market. They use an extra-efficient burner system, a catalytic converter, and a low-oxygen shutdown sensor. But I'm skeptical of them, at least in a sealed house and sleeping area. They still vent tiny amounts of carbon monoxide, and the moisture from combustion stays in the house. They'd be great in an unheated sunroom, though.

To my knowledge, ventless gas heaters are neither legal nor available in Canada.

I believe there are stand-alone gas fireplaces (with a wall vent) that will operate without electricity.

My parents installed a couple of these gas fireplaces, one in a sunken living room and one in their basement. They are surprisingly effective as heaters, and not half bad to look at either.

Have you looked into Pellet Stoves?

Since you already have the propane hook-up, it might not be worth buying yet another fuel, but if so they have some artsy pellet stoves that are starting to hit the market. Artsy meaning that they look like modern appliances more than traditional or antique stoves.

I have been using two vent free natural gas fireplaces to heat my house for the last three years.
They heat my house much better then the furnace did, and are also cheaper for me to use.
As for safety, I have brought in two different CO detectors and they show nothing even when I held them next to the fire places.

That's interesting, Lance_952. Thanks for the report. Can you tell use what brand you're using?

I've been considering one of these Mr. Heater models for a winter workshop. Neither are decorative, but they look handy.
http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails_extended.asp?catid=41&id=116 (available in Canada)
http://www.mrheater.com/productdetails_extended.asp?catid=57&id=171 (availability unknown)

Anybody ever use one of these?

Pellet stoves require electricity for the auger and the fan.

Has anyone come up with a solar/battery/pellet stove yet?

Sue

I have one of the Mr Heater's that I use when I take my 14ft travel trailer camping, I'm in the process of redoing the electrical, plumbing and heating in it. The Mr Heater keeps it toasty, I bought an adapter and use a 20lb tank with it.

Doug, I have Pro-Com, I got them from Northern